BRIT not brilliant academically but if the Art is that poor at her current school and she wants to do it for a career, she is unlikely to regret moving there.She obviously applied for a reason - is there anything else she feels the BRIT can offer that her current school can't (apart from the obvious!)?However: If she did stay in her current school, what opportunities would she have to develop her Art outside school (as it sounds like is necessary)? Are there others making the long journey with her? an hour each way is quite some time to be travelling...and could be tough socially if peers are from far away also.

I think if she dislikes her current school it makes it a no-brainer to give the Brit a try.

I am over the moon at my son getting in partly because his current school is not quite right for him- it has low expectations and has written him off a bit. I watched him blossom and really show what he can do when he tries when he was preparing his portfolio and feel so happy that he has official recognition with his offer of a place that he has done well. But the academic results at the Brit are pretty good prepared to his current school, tbh, so I don't have your dilemma about that.

Your daughter sounds very talented and lovely, notfluffy. I'm sure she will do very well at either school. It must be hard when the news that she has done so well and got in throws up such a dilemma though. For us we are in little doubt that Brit is a far better school for our son than his current one. I think the right choice (I never thought I would write those words- this is the first time ever we've had a schooling choice for any of ours!) maybe depends a lot on individual children's personalities and interests as well as location etc. The Brit has a v good reputation for pastoral care and encouraging every pupil to succeed in their chosen area and that will really make a difference for my son, I think. If your daughter has a bit been overlooked at times in her current school that might be an important consideration for her too? My son thrives on a bit of encouragement from adults he respects and will also benefit from the creative atmosphere and the higher expectations of him. My other boy (his twin) just doesn't seem to need this as much- almost prefers to be left to get on with things and is fairly immune to both adult praise and peer pressure. He would be horrified at the thought of moving schools! He has his settled friendship group and would not like the idea of having to meet lots of new people either. My son who is going to the Brit is a social butterfly and though I am a bit worried that he will take time to make proper non-superficial friends I think he will cope well given time.

I do take your point about the commute. I think we are probably a bit nearer than you and it is not that much longer a commute than to his current school, though it means a train ride so won't be free as his triple bus ride is. I do think if he was doing very well in a nearby school, I might feel quite torn too. Since your girl is in a local school that already suits her very well in some ways, maybe it will really come down to how sure she is that a career in the arts is for her? I get the impression that the Brit really encourages links with the arts industries and businesses and that would be a definite advantage to her if she is certain that art is the career she wants.

I know a couple of kids, vaguely. Both boys. One has made a dramatic turnaround since starting there (as I'm hoping my son will!) and has gone from unmotivated slacker to super enthusiastic broadcast media student and the other was doing very well at his previous school but is loving the drama strand as he wants a career in theatre. The only criticism I have heard was from the latter boy about the sports/PE teaching, which he feels is not as good as his old school.

I hadn't really taken much notice of the school until my son said he wanted to go there and could we investigate but at the open evening I was struck by the fact that the young people we met seemed very normal and down to earth; I think I was subconsciously expecting hordes of loud and pretentious teen extroverts! I really think/hope there are a range of personalities there. Plus they will all be new and a bit shy/unsure at first.

Notfluffy, Art aside, it sounds like you are not sure whether the Brit is the best fit for your daughter. If you could reapply to her current school for 6th form and have a good chance of getting in, it would probably be worth her taking her Brit place and trying it out for GCSEs. She will soon know how she copes with the commuting and socialisation aspects and whether she feels she is getting the support and encouragement needed with her Art. It would worry me that she is obviously quite academic and can't take one of her preferred A Level options at the Brit. Your academic qualifications go with you throughout life...Art contacts can be made outside of school (although being backed up by a name such as Brit and utilising their contacts would definitely be a benefit if that is absolutely the industry she is sure to enter). However, there are plenty of successful artists working without having that sort of training...possibly more important to get into a good Art college after A Levels, unless she wanted to skip FE and go straight to work. Even then, for a motivated and talented individual there are ways 'in'. Has she spoken to a good careers advisor or contacted Art Colleges for advice on what sort of training and skills she would need, or considered the future avenues of employment with her artistic skills? Perhaps to help the decision you should ask, what would you/she feel if she DIDN'T take the place at Brit? If you feel gutted, then she should probably go for it. If you are not that bothered, then she should probably stay put but investigate other avenues for Art because sadly it seems her current school is not really supporting her skills very well in this area.

Just to say, my daughter entered a competitive Art College at 16, after not having even done GCSE Art. They waived their creative GCSE requirement due to her portfolio which was prepared in her own time. She went straight into Level 3 and is currently sat on a full set of distinctions.

I thought my daughter wasn't ready for Art College - especially at level 3, given her background, but she knew the minute she walked it that it was the right place for her and I have to say, she was right. If your daughter really does not want to go there at the moment but really has a talent, she can nurture it herself over the next few years and make a move at 16 or 18 when she is ready.

How quickly does she have to make her decision? Can she go back for another open day to fully decide?

I just mentioned this to my daughter and she says that one main advantage of Brit will be immersing herself in art, at a place where Art is considered a credible subject and where she is surrounded by the inspiration of others and supported in her passion. She may well even have access to resources and equipment not available at a typical state school as well as the possibility of mixing across the arts - for example textiles might be involved in drama costumes or fine art in the staging for productions. If Brit offers this, it is an invaluable opportunity.

She says that your daughter may well be one of the best in Art at her current school, even the best. At Brit she will be surrounded by good artists and quality art work and she will learn from them and the joint crits just as much as she will learn from the teachers. She says that her love of art is never undermined at college and just being there amongst other art work gives her lots of ideas. Also, not to worry about friendships - she mas made lots of new friends but still has her old ones which she keeps in text contact with and meets up with them at weekends.

She also says that she has to travel 1hr 10 a day each way on public transport and its a pain to start with but you do get used to it. The problem is if you want to stay on for anything - make sure transport is available so that she isn't stopped from going to these activities.

However, she also says, don't worry if she starts her Art immersion at 16. It can be done. It was a bit scary in the first six weeks where everyone was talking about their A* GCSE art grades but she soon found everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Hard work was the key. Isn't it always?

She wishes her good luck - whatever her decision, no one can ever take her talent away from her.

Edexcel and OCR have certainly announced in the last few days that November GCSEs in English Lang and Maths will be retake only, and AQA will be the same (otherwise everyone would just switch boards). We were half thinking about some first entries for November now that January is not an option, but it is a no go. Not 100% about iGCSEs - they may be be different, but Inthought they were January and June, not November.